Brumbies to warm up for Super Rugby against Rebels in Queanbeyan

Allan Alaalatoa of the Brumbies is tackled during the round 15 Super Rugby match between the Brumbies and the Rebels

Canberra Super 15 Rugby team the Brumbies have announced that they will begin their Super Rugby preparations with a warm up match against the Melbourne Rebels in Queanbeyan on Saturday 3 February.

Australia’s only Super Rugby finalist in 2017 the Brumbies will play the Melbourne side at Queanbeyan’s Seiffert Oval venue with a 6pm start.

The visit of the Rebels to Queanbeyan will begin the Brumbies season in earnest with the game preceding the Brisbane Rugby Tens to be held at Suncorp Stadium in Queensland the following weekend.

A 32-3 victory over the Melbourne side at GIO Stadium in Canberra in early June was enough to secure the Brumbies a second successive Australian Conference Super Rugby title last term, but the Rebels have significantly strengthened in many key areas during the off-season and will pose a tough test.

“This will be the squads first game of the year and will provide a good litmus test of where we are at coming out of our pre-season,” Brumbies Head Coach Dan McKellar commented.

“The Rebels have recruited strongly and we are looking forward to a quality hit-out. We are looking forward to playing at Queanbeyan and engaging with our local supporters.”

Brumbies CEO Michael Thomson was happy to be taking the pre-season fixture across the border to Queanbeyan and was excited to be engaging with the local support in the City.

“It’s wonderful to be able to play our first pre-season friendly match of the 2018 season in Queanbeyan at the scenic Seiffert Oval,” Thomson commented.

“The Brumbies community is very important to us here at the club and rugby in Queanbeyan is thriving.

“The Whites are an integral part of our club rugby scene in the John I Dent Cup and to be able to bring a Super Rugby pre-season match to this area will hopefully draw an excellent crowd.”

The Brumbies fixture in Queanbeyan is likely to be popular with the locals in what is a city with plenty of rugby tradition.

“This is a brilliant event for Queanbeyan and the Brumbies,” Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor Tim Overall said.

“Rugby union has a great history in Queanbeyan dating back to the 1890s. Many from the Queanbeyan Whites have played with the Brumbies and ten have played with the Wallabies. I am looking forward to a packed Seiffert Oval for the pre-season match.”